"Good point" Felix said, moving her around to hold her in both arms, "I shall have to tickle you later... But, that doesn't mean I'm not carrying you back to the wolf." He continued to move on, examining the woods as he took his windy path back to where they'd come from. "So, when do you suppose your brother will come looking for you? And if he doesn't find you by nightfall, where will you stay?"

Pavelle sighed. At least he wasn't trying to tickle her any more. And she actually was hungry still. She might have forgotten that or shoved it aside in her alarm, trying to get away from him. But it was true. She sighed again, unwrapping the bar, taking a bite. Like she had suspected, it was dry, but somehow it tasted really good. Probably because her stomach was so empty. Her Felix might be used to skipping meals, and she had done that herself at home when funds had gotten short. But being in the woods, walking all over the place, this was different. A bone-deep kind of hungry. She found herself being very grateful for the bar, and she didn't like that. By her count, she was getting too far in debt to him. She didn't know what she could do to make it up. So his last question, especially, was dangerous. Not in a life-or-death-he's-gonna-eat-me way, but in a I've-already-accepted-too-much way. "Well. I guess I'll just go back to the dirt circle, that place where you found me," she said carefully. "I can climb a tree, hide up there and wait. It's not like I don't have arms. Or legs, you know. Like. Those things. That you walk on. I have those." She paused before grumbling, "I wish you would just put me down." Crossing her arms and shooting him a look, before taking another bite of the energy bar, chewing slowly, trying to deceive her stomach into thinking that the bar was bigger than it really was.After a moment, she swallowed and looked to Jack, saying, "Mainly that... well, I'm just going to call it an oven, even if it's not... Mainly that 'oven' has a fuel source, like gas, that it burns up. The burning happens inside the oven's body, for safety reasons, and probably out of necessity, too. When the fuel source burns, it heats the air inside the metal body. Then, if I understood Mr. Raccoons-Are-Too-Weak-To-Walk over here, the 'oven' uses the hot air to change the fire's energy, or it's power--" not exactly knowing which terms he didn't understand, --"into electricity, a different kind of power, which the 'oven' then uses in turn to cook food. It cooks faster and has less smoke than a normal fire, which is why Felix uses it instead. Less of a hassle." Well, she thought she'd explained it right.

Rachav snapped her head to the east, listening intently. She could feel her heart pounding, trying to distract her. And her muscles all clenching in preparation of whatever had to happen. Her body was wound so tight that she was shaking a little, her ears focused like radars to that terrible noise. Humans. They were here, and they were close.She forced herself to turn her head to face North again and whispered, body and voice quivering alike, if not her nerve, "That must be them. Now. We will stay hidden for as long as possible, in hope that the bikers won't turn this way. We cannot see them yet, so it could be any amount of time before we act-- seconds, minutes, even tens of minutes. If we have any luck at all, they will not turn down here but ride straight past. If not... you remember what I said before. I will make myself known to them. You wait, and if necessary circle back to camp with my directions." She looked at him, her eyes focused on his, and there was a bleak, powerful light to her gaze. "Do not fail me if that happens. Do not."

Meanwhile...

Quote:

I would not let it worry you, some times that is a good thing.

"And other times..." he muttered, but then...The exodus had begun to arrive. There was a sharp whistle from one of the guards around the perimeter, catching Griffon's and probably Kikyo's attention alike. A moment later the first members began hurrying in, shoulders and backs hunched, heads down, trying their best to look small and unnoticeable while the threat of discovery hung in the air. Many of them had been shocked by the Animal Control raid recently, and that had been the first time in the history of this camp that it had been forced to choose: either move or lose everything and everyone. Grif had had to make that decision, leading to this period of constant struggle, moving about like a nomad group, danger on every side (if not humans, then other ferals who had already claimed their own lands) at every time, and a less noticeable but perhaps even more dangerous threat... that of being completely worn out, burned out, too tired to continue to fight and move. There had begun to develop an unhappy restlessness that he could feel in the camp, even if the others did not yet see it. If things continued the way they were, it would become a problem soon, even despite the camp's loyalty. And today's events were not helping anything.

But. Now there was work to be done. The brooding, the seclusion from the camp as he tried to work out what to do to keep this all alive, that could come later. First, work. Always, work.There was a steady stream of members trickling in to those few already gathered here. Quite a number of them were carrying in supplies, setting them as quickly as possible on the ground, and then running without pause, panting with exertion and fear, back out of camp. Someone had told them to grab what they could to clear out the old camp and bring it here. Maybe Kelley, or Isma. Or Rachav. Good. Another group was arriving. A set of three herding the pups in with whispered commands. Grif counted. All eight young ones, good. All eight of them with eyes wide and sniffling noses, on the verge of tears, frightened, confused. That was not so good.Griffon's voice was lowered, even though the bikers weren't here. Live by example. "Okay. Pups, kits. And you three, Jaz, Crosby, Gwen. All of you," he looked at each shortly in turn. "You need to help with organization of supplies. Take the supplies the others are dumping here, and organize them into little groups that can be evenly distributed between members in case we should have to leave this place quickly. No more than what one person can carry, got it? Any extra supplies, leave stacked together in a pile. Somewhere hidden --in the bushes-- would be best. Remember. Everyone does his or her part. Go on now." He nodded to himself as they began to organize, the three leaders telling the kids again what to do, in easier terms. Giving something for them to do should distract them from their fear.

"Lady Kikyo, can you think of anything else we should be doing that I've forgotten to command? Or anything you can think of that I could do myself. I'm going a little stir-crazy." Not just a little, but he wouldn't let her know that. He ached to be on the front lines, as it were. For a while, leadership had meant having to do things yourself so that others would follow. Then he had gained the camp's trust, their loyalty. Now. Now it was standing and handing out orders, making sure everyone followed them, and you yourself... not necessarily doing much. He hated that. That was his sacrifice to make. And the odd thing was, sometimes others looked down on him for it, thought him weak for making that sacrifice as if he actually wanted to limit himself, disliked him "for not doing anything", thought he didn't pull his weight, whispered when they thought he couldn't hear... as if they understand him completely. They could try. He didn't think many, if any, would succeed.

((Just a thought... Venison could be following the wrong raccoon's tracks. Felix wouldn't be happy about that. Just another option for ya, Buck. Heh.))

North had heard the whurring sound of a motorbike many times before and identified it quickly. Many times a day, some would noisily whiz past his owner's- ... Old owner's house. He looked back at Rachav. He couldn't tell if she was nervous or excited, or maybe both. But still, the plan felt... "Are you sure about this?". North asked. He didn't doubt Rachav's ability to lure them away but still... It was risky.

"That may be, but I'm not trusting enough to take your word for it. I don't even fully trust Pavelle yet, and she's a scavenger. Even Conker could prove a threat if I trusted him too fast," she said, pointing at the squirrel who had arrived and was seemingly ignored.

(OOC: Jessica has some major trust issues.)

_________________I'm a shape-shifter. I'm currently in whatever form I feel likeParadigm Shift by meI do not actually believe any of what I'm saying.RP character sheets

Swiftpaw, continued to look around for other hunter teams, not wanting to get tracked herself. but she didn't see, hear, or smell any other humans around the area.. She noticed that since she has been trailing after the bikers, while looking for the ridge line patrol. The bikers have gotten ahead of her now to the point that if they went down twords the encampment, they would arrive there before she could get there to raise the alarm. given the speed of there machines, and her need to stay hidden. Swiftpaw worried.. Do i go up the ridge to find the high patrol? then go and follow after the bikers. Or does she try to get back down the ridge, unseen trying to get ahead of the fast moving human scouts, so i can warn the camp that there coming.. I have given the first warning, and have sent Ralf's patrol to return to camp, so they should be watching for the bikers to come there way. So i go up to find the high patrol, and escort them back down, and hopefully keep track of the bikers.... and not get caught in the process. Swiftpaw then starts going higher up the ridge line, as the bikers are still talking to there talking box.

caelei wrote:

Meanwhile..."Lady Kikyo, can you think of anything else we should be doing that I've forgotten to command? Or anything you can think of that I could do myself. I'm going a little stir-crazy."

Lady Kikyo just stands there looking calm and regal, as she observes the goings on around her.I know that you want to run to the front lines, to where the action is. So you can direct things personally, but we can not afford to risk you. Right now, if we lost you, the camp would break-up into petty squabbling groups, fighting each other over what scraps would be left.The camp needs to figure out a chain of command and trust those who will rise up to become the leaders in it. Right now, we just need to show the camp we believe in them and are not worried.

Pavelle sighed. At least he wasn't trying to tickle her any more. And she actually was hungry still. She might have forgotten that or shoved it aside in her alarm, trying to get away from him. But it was true. She sighed again, unwrapping the bar, taking a bite. Like she had suspected, it was dry, but somehow it tasted really good. Probably because her stomach was so empty. Her Felix might be used to skipping meals, and she had done that herself at home when funds had gotten short. But being in the woods, walking all over the place, this was different. A bone-deep kind of hungry. She found herself being very grateful for the bar, and she didn't like that. By her count, she was getting too far in debt to him. She didn't know what she could do to make it up. So his last question, especially, was dangerous. Not in a life-or-death-he's-gonna-eat-me way, but in a I've-already-accepted-too-much way. "Well. I guess I'll just go back to the dirt circle, that place where you found me," she said carefully. "I can climb a tree, hide up there and wait. It's not like I don't have arms. Or legs, you know. Like. Those things. That you walk on. I have those."

"I could fix that" Felix said, smiling a large, toothy grin. "Though, on your own... You must have a potent desire to be eaten. Really, you probably aren't even gonna be safe in the trees. As, I figure, most creatures are crafty enough to either get up there or in the case of bears, knock the whole tree over." He continued on. This raccoon did not like taking help. Cody was in some ways the same. He had to do EVERYTHING himself. Though, as a difference, Cody was a large snow leopard who by his appearance alone would be safe. Who picked fights with the biggest of the small cats and the smallest of the big cats? Not many except for the next three or four big cats, and there weren't going to be many of them around. "You could stay in my den a night. If you do, that'll be a chance to get some soup for you."

Quote:

She paused before grumbling, "I wish you would just put me down." Crossing her arms and shooting him a look, before taking another bite of the energy bar, chewing slowly, trying to deceive her stomach into thinking that the bar was bigger than it really was.After a moment, she swallowed and looked to Jack, saying, "Mainly that... well, I'm just going to call it an oven, even if it's not... Mainly that 'oven' has a fuel source, like gas, that it burns up. The burning happens inside the oven's body, for safety reasons, and probably out of necessity, too. When the fuel source burns, it heats the air inside the metal body. Then, if I understood Mr. Raccoons-Are-Too-Weak-To-Walk over here, the 'oven' uses the hot air to change the fire's energy, or it's power--" not exactly knowing which terms he didn't understand, --"into electricity, a different kind of power, which the 'oven' then uses in turn to cook food. It cooks faster and has less smoke than a normal fire, which is why Felix uses it instead. Less of a hassle." Well, she thought she'd explained it right.

"Nope, the electricity is a byproduct" Felix said, "its useful though for charging flashlights. Heat goes out in every direction from its source in mostly equal amounts unless a specific shape is used to direct it or focus it. One part of the fire cooks, the other makes power.... And WOULD YOU TAKE SOMEONE BEING NICE... Geez, I'm carrying you so we can get there faster, to be nice and try to be helpful... Lynx's don't usually end up around anyone to talk to, I believe the humans describe it as being like a hermit..." Yea, this was getting to him. He was beginning to understand why his species was so heavily isolationist. Why bother doing anything with anyone when they're so bent on NOT being there or getting along. His day in and day out was content, BUT, it was somewhat nice to change it up.... Especially if changing it up didn't mean one of Cody's antics.

Mon Sep 17, 2012 11:08 pm

caelei

Joined: Wed Mar 18, 2009 4:42 pmPosts: 683Location: Oh, you know.

Re: Pet Friendly: Haven

Quote:

She noticed that since she has been trailing after the bikers, while looking for the ridge line patrol. The bikers have gotten ahead of her now to the point that if they went down twords the encampment, they would arrive there before she could get there to raise the alarm. given the speed of there machines, and her need to stay hidden.

Swiftpaw then starts going higher up the ridge line, as the bikers are still talking to there talking box.

Rachav's heart skipped a beat. The bikes. The smell of guzzled, choking gasoline-smoke touched her nose, clogging it, the scent harsher than any occurring naturally in the wild. She'd forgotten how much she hated it, how such a simple thing could make her fur stand on end. They were close. The slight wind was drifting down this way, bringing the scent ahead... but they'd be here. And soon. They were getting louder, the engines' buzz like metallic wasps stinging in her ears, blocking out other sound. There was no time. She couldn't allow them to head down towards camp. She couldn't let that happen. Even if she only bought the others a couple minutes, just a few more minutes to clear out, to get to safety.

Quote:

"Are you sure about this?"

"There is no other option," she said, looking away. Her heart was hammering like a drum, the blood racing through her veins, and she was still shaking. She told herself it wasn't fear. It was hatred. It had to be. Hatred of these humans who came here and disturbed what small measure of peace the camp had found. Hatred that threatened to trip her up. And love. Love of the camp, so powerful it could make her shake. It was not fear.She took a breath, and then she was gone. Drawing herself out through the branches of the bush, not caring when they snapped and scratched against her coat. She headed straight north, keeping track of where the paths were in relation to her own position. The bikers were still approaching, quickly, from the east. The paths --visible enough to follow if one was paying attention and knew the signs-- were still to the west. She was to the east of the nearest path by about... 30 long paces. If she could get to the bikers over here, then there was a possibility that she could stop them from even seeing the paths... and if she could lead them away, to the north, perhaps, up towards the ridge-line, where there might be a patrol waiting to help her, or send word back in the case that North somehow messed up... She'd try to lead them north.

She didn't run to get to them, staying at a leisurely jog. No need to waste energy. Not yet. Their engines were getting louder. They were close. She kept her eyes peeled. She wanted to see them before they saw her. Give her a moment to analyze their gear. Any sort of weapon, tranq guns or net launchers or worse, and she'd have to be very careful not to get into range. She had seen enough of those when the camp had been raided to know of their devastating effects. Though even if she did get taken down, they might be distracted enough by her that they'd waste a few minutes. She felt a grim, humorless smile on her face. Well. She'd be useful to the camp one way or another.

Meanwhile...

Quote:

I know that you want to run to the front lines, to where the action is. So you can direct things personally, but we can not afford to risk you. Right now, if we lost you, the camp would break-up into petty squabbling groups, fighting each other over what scraps would be left.The camp needs to figure out a chain of command and trust those who will rise up to become the leaders in it. Right now, we just need to show the camp we believe in them and are not worried.

"Yes, yes. You're right of course," Grif said, tone irritated, and not just because she actually was right. He didn't like it when he let too much of himself bleed into what he was saying, doing-- and there he was doing it again, in his posture, his expression. Akita Kikyo was right. He needed to stay here. Being here was just as important as being anywhere else.

He took a moment, closed his eyes. The scar tearing through both upper and lower lid on the left side usually made his bad eye more narrow than the right. In this case, it prevented his eye from fully closing, the lids not fully meeting.When he opened his eyes again, Griffon's face had gone neutral, calm. A close mimic of Kikyo's own expression. His shoulders relaxed, his breathing going regular, steady. He stood by and watched as the others did all the work, and did nothing but give directions as needed, in short, terse commands.

Meanwhile...

Quote:

"You could stay in my den a night. If you do, that'll be a chance to get some soup for you."

"And WOULD YOU TAKE SOMEONE BEING NICE... Geez, I'm carrying you so we can get there faster, to be nice and try to be helpful... Lynx's don't usually end up around anyone to talk to, I believe the humans describe it as being like a hermit..."

Pavelle felt herself automatically shaking her head. "No, I really couldn't. You just. You can't understand. I just-- I can't accept too much help, alright? It's better if I just stay away. From others. If I accept your help then I have to give something in turn. It doesn't work the other way, you can't just be nice to me. If I just take something from someone--" there had been her backpack, and in it a little box of medication that had taken Ven two whole weeks to track down, and then that medicine, all that work and it hadn't even worked, it hadn't, and now Mom-- "If I just take it and I don't give anything back it's too easy, and I end up-- I lose after all. It's better this way, okay? I'll be okay on my own. I really will." She made sure to look down as she said all this, careful and down, at the forest floor. Suddenly there was this lump in her throat and her stomach was still growling, but she didn't know if she could swallow anything down. Probably it would just get stuck.

*skert* "Yeah, the land out .... is gonna be a goldmine, I ...!" *skert*

"Mmm?" Venison tossed a sideways glance at his pack. Was that his walkie-talkie? Why was it on? It must have shifted around in the pack while he was walking. What a waste of battery! Venison grumbled as he slid the pack off his shoulders.

He must have just walked within range. Whomever was on the other end of the walkie talkie was still rather far away, though in what direction Venison knew not. It didn't really matter to him, though, as he had no intention of finding them. Asking "have you seen this animal?" to humans was often useless. Animals tended to all look alike to most humans.

On the topic of human silliness, Venison found himself amused that the two on the other end were using the default channel for the walkie talkie. Since Venison hadn't done much more to the walkie-talkie other than remove it from the packaging and read the instructions, he imagined that the two humans had just pulled these out of the box without any other setup. Aha, there was the walkie-talkie.

Interesting. Perhaps they were land developers of some kind? They were probably just out giving the land a quick survey, and nothing more. They most certainly wouldn't have any information on Pavelle. It seemed the humans had some plans for this forest. Somewhat unfortunate, considering. In such a vast, mostly untamed area, it was likely wild animals were living out here.

As interesting as it was, Ven felt no need to further waste any battery power listening to their ramblings and possible investments. The more batteries he could save, the better- while he could forage for more food if needed, there weren't any convince stores out here to refresh his battery stock. He patted his side pocket; the Balishock wasn't known for saving power. Venison tipped slightly as he re-shouldered his backpack. Now, where did those raccoon tracks get off to...?

North's ear twitched once as he watched her hurtle through the foliage and disappear into the forest. He stood up (assuming that he was crouching and scratched the back of his head. No other option? Taking the phrase more literally than it was probably intended to be. He mused over it for a second before placing in the back of his mind. Right now he had a job to do, and that was to go back and inform the Grif about the situation. He shifted his weight and tested his right foot. The cloth that was holding his foot was still intact (although somewhat dirty). And with a nod to no one in particular he was off, running at a brisk pace through the forest in the direction of the camp.

Well, that set Felix off. He stopped where he was and put the little raccoon down. There was one thing he was going to clear up once and for all on this one. He was not a businessman, he was not like the humans and he was not counting debts. He hated the concept of it. Yes, he did trade and use their currency, but, that was when he needed to get something, not when he was giving it. There was nothing about life out here that was like business except that you COULD trade things and some larger animals could use fear to make smaller ones do their bidding. That was however, not how this Lynx worked.

"I don't work like that" he said, his voice taking on an angry tone, "Humans count debts and burry themselves in a mess of owing things to everyone. They sit there at their desks and count how much money they get day in and day out, take debts, collect on debts and work to use this to take everything they can from people who already have nothing. So, understand now, in no uncertain terms: I am nothing like that, I am nothing like them, I don't do anything for greed and if I were to do things for greed like that, you'd be my prey rather than someone I've been TRYING to help. If you want to keep trying to imitate the humans out here, you won't last long. The most helpful thing you'll get from that is trading with foragers and not running out of food. I CAN just be nice, the humans used to be just nice to people when they first settled this country. Its NOT a free-ride of giving nothing back, its helping you manage to survive a bit and then later you'll help someone else rather than be their dinner." At this point, he was rather up to the raccoons face. If this didn't get his point across, nothing would.

North's ear twitched and with a nod to no one in particular he was off, running at a brisk pace through the forest in the direction of the camp.

Lady kikyo was standing stockily along side Lord Griffon, projecting an infectious air of calm and strength, to those around her. Being an inspiration to those within the camp, that all is well and good, that they all are going to be fine. She looks up to see that new dog, North. come running into the camp. She summons him over to her and Lord Griffon with a wave of her paw.. It is a pleasure to see you again, North-san. (Bow) Did you get lost from Rachav?

****meanwhile****

Swiftpaw was scrambling up the mountain side, trying to get over top of them while they were engaged with talking with their talking box. She flushed a flock of birds, who scattered up into the air.... O.O The sly young coyote plastered herself down against the rocks, wishing her fur would change color like a Chameleon, to better blend in with the rocks.. The bikers were looking up and pointing her way, rats! Did they see her? or just the birds suddenly taking flight?? Swiftpaw felt her heartbeat echoed off the rocks, as she kept pressing herself down harder onto mountain side.. She wasn't going to run, to be flushed out of hiding, until she was completely sure she had indeed been seen. She flatten back her ears, and braced her muscles to race off, planing the escape route in her head. as she heard the motorbikes being started up again.. Sweeping her ears up and back like little radar dishes, to determine by sound, where the motorbikes were and where they are going.. WuuUurrrrr WUUWurrrrrr WWUURURURRRRway to get yourself stuck between a mad skunk and the back of a box canyon, swifty.. With an unladylike grunt, she bolts up the mountain side, trying to get up onto the steeper slopes. maybe they were just occasional riders, and would crash on the steeper levels of the mountain top.. She could hear the noise of the machines in her ears, like a swarm of angry bees were after her tail for raiding their hive. Then there was one angry bee left, and it soon stopped. Looking back swiftpaw was right! The one on the yellow bike did crash, while trying to ride over that fallen log. She could hear his cursing as he was picking the bike back up, and restarting it. while the one on the green bike laughed at him, even going as far to tell the talking box about his companions mishap.

Swiftpaw was panting hard as she continued to move up farther into the mountains, She was sure now that By the time the bikers stopped laughing and snapping at each other and got moving again she will be gone and well hidden. Crowning over a ridge, there was a short whistle, a flash of an golden furred arm, from a thicket. Swiftpaw dashed over to nearly dive into the tangle of bushes, thorns and yet more burrs digging there way into her abused pelt. Pressing up against Lt. Dacoda, the afghan hound who was her commander here in the southern region. He was not as dominate or aggressive as Rachav, more like a newly minted Lt. fresh out of boot camp, just a year older than Swiftpaw. trying to overcome his inexperience with hard, dedicated work. Having a few friends over?(pant) Just a few. (pant) nothing too big. (pant) at-least there heading away from the camp. (pant)I see, so getting chased like that was on purpose? .... Well?....no. ran over a flock of birds that gave me away.Did you catch any of the birds?He says with a smirk. No, I had a few other things on my tail at the time.Dacoda peers up over the ridge. Looks like they have given up on you already, and are moving on to the lake.That's good...

The wolf sighed and nodded, deciding it was best to leave the little rabbit alone, knowing that today was not the best day to try and be helpful when everyone doesn't even know you, and worse that he was a wolf. That ate animals. Like her. He eyed her once more, natural instincts kicking him in the back of the head sharply to remind him that he hadn't eating properly for the past couple of days and the berries hadn't helped.

He stared at her differently. He licked his muzzle. And when you thought he was going to pounced....nothing. The sensible side of him reactivated and he wondered what had just happened for those last few moments, confused and still starving.

He craned his neck to the side of the newly arrived squirrel and asked like a beggar, "You wouldn't happen to know where there was food would you, oreferably one that didn't result in my stomach almost exploding?"

When North spots Kikyo he stops running, slowing down to a trot and walking over to the Akita. He glance back and forth between the Akita and Grif before turning to address Kikyo. "Didn't get lost." He said in his gruff voice. "Rachav told me to alert you guys. As far as we know (or...Rachav knows), the bikers are headed for a straight path towards the old camp. She sent me back while she went off to distract them. Said something about leading them away."

"Rachav told me to alert you guys. As far as we know (or...Rachav knows), the bikers are headed for a straight path towards the old camp. She sent me back while she went off to distract them. Said something about leading them away."

Lady Kikyo was thinking, she probably just wanted to get him out from under her foot. Then again she was trusting him to be her runner, maybe he could be trained to be a scout. I am pleased that you haven't gotten lost. With this being your first day in the deep woods, that is quite an impressive feat.Lady Kikyo turns to look back over her shoulder in puzzlement, then back over to where North entered into the new camp. Did you circle the encampment before coming into the camp North-san? The big old akita turns to point back over her shoulder,Are former encampment is back over that way, to the northeast. Yet the scout who first reported contact, Swiftpaw. patrols to the south (pointing) that way.

Lady Kikyo turns to Lord Griffon. It's looking like were snafu'ed with are scouting, a fog of war situation. someone is messed up on there directions.. We are going to have to prepare to defend on two sides, and send out new scouts to find out which mountain group the bikers are actually in.

**** meanwhile ****

The two bikers on blue motorbikes, continued VvUurrRRrrrrming down out of the pass from the northern mountains, laughing at the report they got on there walkie talkies. About there friend on team one crashing on a tree while trying to chase down some mangy coyote they saw.

"I don't work like that" he said, his voice taking on an angry tone, "Humans count debts and burry themselves in a mess of owing things to everyone. They sit there at their desks and count how much money they get day in and day out, take debts, collect on debts and work to use this to take everything they can from people who already have nothing. So, understand now, in no uncertain terms: I am nothing like that, I am nothing like them, I don't do anything for greed and if I were to do things for greed like that, you'd be my prey rather than someone I've been TRYING to help. If you want to keep trying to imitate the humans out here, you won't last long. The most helpful thing you'll get from that is trading with foragers and not running out of food. I CAN just be nice, the humans used to be just nice to people when they first settled this country. Its NOT a free-ride of giving nothing back, its helping you manage to survive a bit and then later you'll help someone else rather than be their dinner." At this point, he was rather up to the raccoons face. If this didn't get his point across, nothing would.

Pavelle found herself put back on the ground. She stumbled as she tried to situate her feet, surprised, having not expected him to put her down for a while yet. And then Felix was angry, it seemed, angry and in her face, and the lump in her throat was swelling and now she felt like she couldn't talk at all, couldn't explain, and would she have explained in the first place? No, she wouldn't, because her problems shouldn't have to be his problems, this person who she'd just met, and for a moment she thought she glimpsed what Venison had gone through when he first came to RV-- the drastically different, confusing, stymieing niceness that was going on, that acceptance, a stranger's willingness to help, just for the pure and good sake of helping... it was maddening and it made no sense and Pavelle wasn't used to coming across things that made no sense. And on top of all that she was feeling really sappy and she hated to think it, but vulnerable, and somewhere inside she knew she should be disgusted at herself for coming to the big bad forest and feeling so... so... weak. So weak.

"I-- I'm sorry," she choked out. And in an effort to explain something at least, "This-- This is all I know." She felt her hands shaking and she gripped them tighter around the energy bar's wrapper, and the knife that Felix'd given. She was aware that he was probably going to blow up in her face, had already in a way, and she couldn't even think what Jack might be thinking, Jack who she hardly knew, thinking she was weak and ridiculous and afraid and fragile, and she hated that last one the most above all. She felt herself taking a step back. And then another. And another. And soon it was a pretty fast retreat, until she was ten feet away from the angry lynx, and she wished it was a hundred, a thousand. Because she couldn't explain. Debts. Debts were easy. They made sense. You could take them and weigh them on a scale, and when everything balanced out-- you knew you'd be okay.

This...? This she couldn't handle right now. Not at all.She didn't know whether to run or to try and help the wolf, even after she'd upset Felix and looked so weak in front of he and Jack both. And still she couldn't speak.

Meanwhile...North was gone. Rachav had heard him take off. And that was good. Very good. As long as he wasn't just running simply to run away. Briefly Rachav wondered if she should have extended her trust to the GSD. Well. There was no one else to trust, at the moment. She had had little choice. She just hoped, above all, that the trust she had placed in the strength of his body, of his weakened ankle's ability to stand up, would not fall through. North would just have to be strong enough to carry himself all the way to new camp. He had set the precedent for himself. Working through pain. She could only expect him to follow through now.Please. Please. She needed him to follow through.

Quote:

The two bikers on blue motorbikes, continued VvUurrRRrrrrming down out of the pass from the northern mountains, laughing at the report they got on there walkie talkies. About there friend on team one crashing on a tree while trying to chase down some mangy coyote they saw.

The sound of harsh, snickering laughter broke through the motorbikes' grumbling, and Rachav's face snapped forward. She instantly berated herself for letting herself become so caught up in her thoughts that she hadn't been paying one-hundred percent attention to the situation at hand. That was bad. And now the bikers were so close, she had no time to take in all of their equipment like she'd planned. Stupid.She would run laps for this later.

Rachav gave a sudden burst of speed, ducking low. She brushed her paws against the ground as she ducked, and gripped the rocks that slammed into her palm-pads, scooping them up. One for each paw. One shot for each biker, if it came to that. She didn't intend to hurt them. Just get their attention, get them angry. If it was necessary. Rachav calculated the bikers' expected position, adjusted her speed accordingly, and then leapt out in front of the bikes, her momentum carrying her directly across their path. This was no stealth mission, not anymore. She wanted to be visible. The more visible she was, the less likely they'd spare a glance and locate a path, or the camp itself. She would have preferred to have hidden herself and thrown rocks to try to disable their vehicles from a safe, unknown position. But she did not have the necessary knowledge of human engineering nor level of skill required for such a feat. She'd always been mediocre at managing projectiles. Her aim was imprecise. Perhaps she would train to be otherwise some other day.

Now... she was a little busy. She came to a jolting halt to the right of the bikers, knowing that they would stop to investigate. Perhaps if she had been an animal like a fox or rabbit they would have moved on. But she was a Doberman, out in the middle of the woods, and alone. She could be lost. Starving. Scared. Or, in their eyes, a deserter. She was supposed to be man's best friend. If seeing her out in the woods, willingly away from humans and their blasted society, didn't rankle at them on some level, conscious or not, she didn't know what would. If they didn't stop. Well. Then she had the rocks. Her aim was far from perfect, but they each made a large enough target, to her eyes, that it wouldn't be that difficult to hit them. The problem would be if she accidentally hurt them. Hopefully it wouldn't come to that. All she wanted was their attention.

Meanwhile...

Quote:

He glance back and forth between the Akita and Grif before turning to address Kikyo.

Duly noted. Griffon kept his gaze cool, looking at the GSD while he gave his report, then immediately away, dismissing him, looking to Kikyo.

Quote:

It's looking like were snafu'ed with are scouting, a fog of war situation. someone is messed up on there directions.. We are going to have to prepare to defend on two sides, and send out new scouts to find out which mountain group the bikers are actually in.

"Right." Griffon said. He paused for just a moment, then, "Olivier! Chauncy!" A hare and whippet mixbreed appeared a moment later. The whippet-mix looked rather nervous, clutching his paws in front of him and eyeing North, long tail tucked between his legs. The hare snapped a salute, her long ears at alert. Both were decent runners, and pretty good scouts. "Olivier," looking at the hare, "Scout the southern regions. Note the positions of any foreign elements. Report back here as quickly as possible.""Aye-aye, Lord Cap'tain," the hare hummed, snapping another sharp salute, pronouncing captain "cahp-ee-tahn" before turning and vanishing to the south. "Chauncy, the same to you, except in the north. Go now. Quickly." The whippet hesitated just a moment, wringing his paws, before heading out to the north, head ducked low as he ran on characteristically stick-thin legs. "There must be something more we can do," Griffon mused, looking around as more and more camp members filed in, carrying in more and more supplies. A great number of the camp were openly panting, whether from exertion or nervousness Griffon did not know.

There was a pause, and then Griffon turned his mismatched gaze to the GSD North. "North. Good work. Thank you. I did not... expect so much from you. You have my gratitude. The camp's gratitude, as well." The words sounded very formal. But sincere.

Well, that was out. Felix had made his explosion. He wasn't going to go in any further. At this point he'd probably stabbed her with a rather flamming knife of sorts. There were flaws to her thinking and he'd dragged them all into the light. Humans didn't like being in the wild for a few reasons, the same reasons that applied to the raccoon. It didn't fit into their system. That meant changing to make things work. If you didn't change, then that meant changing everything around you. The humans had done it, repeatedly. It usually ended in disease, death and destruction. Their system created wars, it leveled mountains, destroyed rivers, and left their own people sick, deprived and confused. Occasionally, wild animals fought. Most definitely predators and prey had something going all the time. Occasionally packs of wolves might fight each other. Some creatures like beavers built dams and foxes built dens. In the end though, it was nothing to the scale of the human destruction. It may have frightened the small raccoon or upset her, but, he was a blunt person when something had to get across. It was better to lay this out here and now than to let things become messy because of human-borne habits.

"You can either come over here, let me carry you and help you along," Felix said, "or you can stick to the way humans do things with debts and worrying about finances. Just remember, that system didn't get them much besides greed, disease and death where it could have been avoided. Or, you can let me show you a few things, abandon living like a human and probably be pretty happy without being reliant on how they live."

OOC: Well, at least he has sound logic... He honestly doesn't care for money/debt... In so far as the eventual Haven community thing goes... His views kind of makeup how it could work on the inside. The animals will need to in some way and level, willingly share resources without worry of debts or they'll fall into a copy of the greedy-society they're trying to escape.

Sat Sep 22, 2012 11:30 pm

~\Rook/~

Joined: Sun May 20, 2012 8:52 pmPosts: 737Location: England, UK

Re: Pet Friendly: Haven

Daxter wrote:

He craned his neck to the side of the newly arrived squirrel and asked like a beggar, "You wouldn't happen to know where there was food would you, oreferably one that didn't result in my stomach almost exploding?"

"Well, I don't know of any local butchers, if that's what your asking.. And I don't taste nice, squirrels are rubbery.." Said Conker with a sheepish smile. "Anyway, I guess you'll have to ask the lynx for food sources.." He added.

Conker leaned around the wolf to see the rabbit. "Unless you know where some good berries are around here?" He asks, gesturing around.

Now... she was a little busy. She came to a jolting halt to the right of the bikers, knowing that they would stop to investigate.

The bikers continued down the path, until the doberman jumped out before them! causing them to bring their noisy machines to a sliding stop. They looked up at the panting dog inquisitively, as the dust cloud they had kicked up floated past them, like a smoke screen. Hey there boy! Are your owners around out here in the woods somewhere? or did you get lost from your owner? Asks one of the bikers on a rumbling blue bike.He looks pretty well fed, he must not have been running around out here alone for too long. the second blue biker states.

caelei wrote:

Meanwhile...

Ralf makes it back to the camp, looking around before coming up to the Lord and Lady, and making a smart bow. My Lord I wish to report, are scout reports there are two humans on motorbikes, scouting the edge of the mountainous area to the southThe black Labrador panting-Ly announces.

Lady Kikyo looks to the south, then to the north.. before addressing North, North-san, you say Rachav is engaging bikers to the north?She then looks to both dogs. Could these riders be circling the camps?

Ralf shakes his head. I haven't seen them myself, but i did hear them off in the distance to the south, while i was briefed by Swiftpaw before she went off to tail them. I'm pretty sure i would have heard them, if they went past me on my way back here to camp here. And have you seen Sneakers? We have sent him after Swiftpaw, and haven't hear from him since.No ma'am, I haven't seen him. Lady Kikyo sighs rubbing her forehead.That means he is still searching for her, or had to go into hiding. Or perhaps is lost himself, he is not used being in the southern territory, being the northern scout after all. or worse been captured..She looks to north, have you seen a yellow cat prowling around to the north?Kikyo then looks to Lord Griffon. Are we even sure which way he went to go look for her?She ask Griffon.

There was a pause, and then Griffon turned his mismatched gaze to the GSD North. "North. Good work. Thank you. I did not... expect so much from you. You have my gratitude. The camp's gratitude, as well." The words sounded very formal. But sincere.

North shrugged, still facing Kikyo, he said, "It's not sunset yet." Saying it as if it explained everything.

Keeshah wrote:

She looks to north, have you seen a yellow cat prowling around to the north?Kikyo then looks to Lord Griffon.

The GSD shook his head. "Nope, didn't see anyone when I came back."

North looked back and forth between the two dogs again. "So... What now?"

Conker leaned around the wolf to see the rabbit. "Unless you know where some good berries are around here?" He asks, gesturing around.

I do, but I doubt I could direct you to them without going myself. and we should probably stay here for when the others get back."

_________________I'm a shape-shifter. I'm currently in whatever form I feel likeParadigm Shift by meI do not actually believe any of what I'm saying.RP character sheets

Tue Sep 25, 2012 7:41 pm

caelei

Joined: Wed Mar 18, 2009 4:42 pmPosts: 683Location: Oh, you know.

Re: Pet Friendly: Haven

Quote:

"You can either come over here, let me carry you and help you along," Felix said, "or you can stick to the way humans do things with debts and worrying about finances. Just remember, that system didn't get them much besides greed, disease and death where it could have been avoided. Or, you can let me show you a few things, abandon living like a human and probably be pretty happy without being reliant on how they live."

Disease and death, Pavelle echoed in her thoughts. She put a hand to her temple, not replying to Felix, just needing, needing to think this all through because she could feel that something wasn't right, she wasn't thinking right. But she couldn't think it through. She couldn't. She knew she just couldn't. If she thought that everything was terrible now, that nothing was making sense and that she felt bad and confused now, then she didn't even want to imagine later. Later when she finally let herself go over everything-- If she let herself--

An image of Magnus popped into her head, startlingly, jarringly vivid. Magnus with his eyes shining big and his ears back, asking "Are we going to go see Mom?" and Pavelle not knowing what to say to him, just staring back at him and not being able to say anything. And that had been a first because she always knew what to say when it came to Mag, but she hadn't been able to speak because. Because there was never going to be seeing Mom, never again, and how could she tell him that while he was sleeping Mom had just, just... left them. And he would understand, but he really wouldn't because Magnus was Magnus. He could understand that there was no more Mom, and that she wasn't coming back, but he wouldn't understand why she'd left them all, left them with only Dad, and that was bad because he wasn't even Dad anymore. Just a sad man with his face crumpled in like he couldn't remember who he was and his hands clutched into fists. Trying to hold on to something that was no longer there.

Another image followed suit, or maybe a pair of images together. Dad no longer with his head bowed down and his shoulders sagging, but up on his feet and yelling, screaming and Pavelle had looked at Magnus, remembering that she had not known what to say to him. And now Magnus was scared and he needed her. Still she could do nothing. Then there was Felix, snarling Felix, gripping his hand tight around her arm and pulling her out of the room and away. And she had gone with him. Let herself sit there and listen to what he was saying without really listening, and she'd nodded her head. Because it was just easier. It was easier to leave than stay. Much, much easier.

Just like those debts that this other Felix hated so much.Pavelle blinked. She looked up. Felix was there, and Jack. She felt dazed. And detached. Which actually was... it was good. She was just standing there, and she'd dropped the knife but managed to hang onto the wrapper. It was clenched in her fist. She looked down at it, crinkled and silver. Then at the knife near her feet. She bent and picked up the knife. It was cool to the touch. Odd. It had just been in her hand. You'd think it would've been warm.

Then something snapped into place and she realized that it had happened again. The blanks. That staring-into-space that she'd started doing recently. Except this time it had been longer, to accommodate the memories as they dragged themselves across her mind. She must've dropped the knife when it happened. And since the knife was cool... probably she'd just stood there and stared at nothing and said nothing for a couple minutes. Just... blank. Oh well.

"Let's just go," she said. Her voice sounded strange to her. Hollow. Like the blank was still with her, and she didn't know it. She didn't know if it was a good thing or not. Whatever. She didn't know if she cared.

Meanwhile...

Quote:

Hey there boy! Are your owners around out here in the woods somewhere? or did you get lost from your owner? Asks one of the bikers on a rumbling blue bike.He looks pretty well fed, he must not have been running around out here alone for too long. the second blue biker states.

Rachav felt her face melt into a sort of confused, vague expression. "Um. I think so...?" She chewed on her lower lip, twisting her hands. "I-- I was just trying to look for my Papa, but he-- I can't, I can't find him. Can you help me?" She let a flutter of panic lace into her voice.

Meanwhile...

Quote:

Are we even sure which way he went to go look for her?She ask Griffon.

"I believe he originally headed northeast," Griffon said, "Towards the old camp. But, if he was attempting to follow Swiftpaw's scent then he could've been turned any direction. Admittedly Sneakers was never the best tracker, but he was the best option I had at the time. I'd been hoping to speak to Swiftpaw directly, but since she's nowhere to be seen..." He paused, considering. "Until Olivier and Chauncy get back, which might be for a while yet, we can only guess at the number and position of the bikers. We need to let the others here," gesturing at all the frantically packing and working animals still trying to perform their duties as quietly as possible, "continue as they are without interruption. They know that they should be ready to mobilize at any moment. So for now, we do nothing but wait until we receive better intel. However painful waiting is."

Quote:

"So... What now?"

Griffon smiled humorlessly. "Do as you wish. Leave. Wait with us. Or figure out something useful to do. If you decide to leave, go that way." Griffon pointed to the west. "That's the safest way for all of us."

"Let's just go," she said. Her voice sounded strange to her. Hollow. Like the blank was still with her, and she didn't know it. She didn't know if it was a good thing or not. Whatever. She didn't know if she cared.

"Are you alright?" Jack asked the raccoon. "you kind of zoned out for a while."

_________________I'm a shape-shifter. I'm currently in whatever form I feel likeParadigm Shift by meI do not actually believe any of what I'm saying.RP character sheets

Rachav felt her face melt into a sort of confused, vague expression. "Um. I think so...?" She chewed on her lower lip, twisting her hands. "I-- I was just trying to look for my Papa, but he-- I can't, I can't find him. Can you help me?" She let a flutter of panic lace into her voice.

When and where did you last see him fella?Ahh Mike, i think he is a she.Heh, I thought he had a bit of a high voice for a male.Well little lady, where did you see your papa last?

caelei wrote:

Meanwhile..."I believe he originally headed northeast," Griffon said, "Towards the old camp. But, if he was attempting to follow Swiftpaw's scent then he could've been turned any direction.

The old akita grins.. Your not going to follow Swiftpaw by scent, not after all the stuff she rolls in. Unless she is intently leaving a trail for you to follow.

caelei wrote:

He paused, considering. "Until Olivier and Chauncy get back, which might be for a while yet, we can only guess at the number and position of the bikers. They know that they should be ready to mobilize at any moment. So for now, we do nothing but wait until we receive better intel. However painful waiting is."

The old dog thinks for a moment.We could string some ropes between the trees across the ride-able paths into this camp. that should de-horse the motorbike riders.

caelei wrote:

Griffon smiled humorlessly. "Do as you wish. Leave. Wait with us. Or figure out something useful to do. If you decide to leave, go that way." Griffon pointed to the west. "That's the safest way for all of us."

An if your going to stay, you should get to know Rachav better. I think she likes you, as least she hasn't boxed your ears yet.

Griffon smiled humorlessly. "Do as you wish. Leave. Wait with us. Or figure out something useful to do. If you decide to leave, go that way." Griffon pointed to the west. "That's the safest way for all of us."

North turned his head towards Grif. He opened his mouth and paused, musing over something in his head. The jist of it could be summed up in three words. "Leave. Or stay. Leave... or stay.". Course he knew what he was going to do. Morality and general goodness won over survival and isolationism and after a few seconds of silence he spoke. "...You guys need to find this cat, right?"

Keeshah wrote:

An if your going to stay, you should get to know Rachav better. I think she likes you, as least she hasn't boxed your ears yet.

Yet was the important word there. Meaning there was the all important question of "When?" His only response was a slightly raised eyebrow and the twitch of an ear.

"Let's just go," she said. Her voice sounded strange to her. Hollow. Like the blank was still with her, and she didn't know it. She didn't know if it was a good thing or not. Whatever. She didn't know if she cared.

"Are you alright?" Jack asked the raccoon. "you kind of zoned out for a while."

"Good, as debt is no longer going to be an issue" Felix said, he bent down and scooped the raccoon up and continued along their way. "So, you'll stay in my den for the night unless we find your relatives before then." He continued along, waiting to see how she'd react.

Wed Sep 26, 2012 11:02 pm

caelei

Joined: Wed Mar 18, 2009 4:42 pmPosts: 683Location: Oh, you know.

Re: Pet Friendly: Haven

Quote:

"Are you alright?" Jack asked the raccoon. "you kind of zoned out for a while."

Quote:

"Good, as debt is no longer going to be an issue" Felix said, he bent down and scooped the raccoon up and continued along their way. "So, you'll stay in my den for the night unless we find your relatives before then."

"I'm fine," Pavelle said in her hollow voice, but there was a note of irritation creeping in. Not at Jack, no. Not at him. At Felix. This Felix. He wasn't her brother, a hand wrapped around her arm and yanking her away from her family, she knew that. But he was this lynx who was just... just picking her up like she couldn't do anything by herself, like she couldn't do anything right. And maybe she couldn't. But now that her thinking had... had cleared a bit, like a mental step-back, like she was here but just, just watching what her body was doing, simply watching her own thoughts and feelings float on through her mind...No more. No more of this babying. No more of this.

Pavelle twisted in the lynx's arms, bucking the back of her head towards his face, shoving against his arms. If he wanted to keep his nose the way it was right now, he'd have to let go of her so she couldn't bash it with the back of her head. They were too close together for him to effectively dodge. She felt her lips moving, pulling away from her teeth, and her mouth saying, "I'm fine," and "No more," in that hollow, angry voice. All of a sudden she just wanted-- she didn't know what she wanted. Well. She knew one thing. "Let go of me," she said, voice rising. "Let go!"

Meanwhile...

Quote:

When and where did you last see him fella?Ahh Mike, i think he is a she.Heh, I thought he had a bit of a high voice for a male.Well little lady, where did you see your papa last?

"I-- I think--" Rachav said, brow furrowed, face confused, fingers knotted. "Um-- I think he was-- last time I saw him he was by a lot of trees and bushes out here, you know?" She said it like she thought the information could actually help. "My Papa and me, we come out here sometimes, huntin' you know, but this time--" She screwed her face up, thinking, spending as much time as possible stretching this conversation out. At the same time, Rachav was trying to give the impression to these two humans that she was dull, so that if she needed to act quickly later they would automatically underestimate her. That could very well give her the advantage. "This time we was heading back home early because Papa said his bad leg was getting stiff an' he said that it was cuz there was gonna be some bad weather, so we needed to go home. And Papa, he don't move that fast you know, cuz'a his bad leg an' all. So I thought--" her voice grew thick, her lower lip quivering, "I-- I thought it was okay that I was running off a bit cuz Papa couldn't go too fast too easy, you know? But then when I looked for him he was already gone, I don't know where he could'a gone without me, he needs me to get home an' he could be lost. I know the way home but ol' Papa ain't too young no more, you know, and he's got some bad eyes now, and I don't know if he could get along without me." Her eyes were tearing up some, and she sniffled, rubbing her paws at her face, trying to scrub away the tears. Okay. This was good. These humans could chose to ignore her, dismiss her as just some dumb dog lost in the woods. But they couldn't easily dismiss the possibility of a lost human, Papa, or else they could get in big trouble later. They'd have to stop to help her look... and even if they called it in and got reinforcements... well, Grif wouldn't be too happy and the camp would have to relocate again, but at least they'd have enough time to get out, get away to safety... "Please help me find my Papa," she pleaded, taking a shuddering breath, shoulders shaking, getting really worked up. "Oh please, he could get hurt here in the woods by himself. I would'a found him but I gotta bad sniffer, I didn't know he would get away or I never would'a let him outta my sight. He can't be too far from here, I know he can't. Oh please help."

Meanwhile...

Quote:

We could string some ropes between the trees across the ride-able paths into this camp. that should de-horse the motorbike riders.

Griffon shook his head. "Only as a last resort will we go on the offensive. We don't want to hurt them, and we don't want them knowing we're here at all, if we can help it. They'll come looking for us if we knock them off their bikes."

Quote:

"...You guys need to find this cat, right?"

"Yes. We need his report on Swiftpaw's location. We need to know what the situation is. The other scouts will be back in a while, but for now Sneakers is top priority." Griffon looked sidelong at North, ears twitching. "Why do you ask? Do you have a suggestion?"

"Please help me find my Papa," she pleaded, taking a shuddering breath, shoulders shaking, getting really worked up. "Oh please, he could get hurt here in the woods by himself. I would'a found him but I gotta bad sniffer, I didn't know he would get away or I never would'a let him outta my sight. He can't be too far from here, I know he can't. Oh please help."

Sure little lady, we can help find him..An just how are we going to do that?Simple, We will just take her into the nearby town, and turn her over to animal control. Who can then organize a full police search of the area for him.Ah that will work.. care to hope on the back of the bike with me, and we will go get help to find your lost owner..

Meanwhile...

caelei wrote:

Griffon shook his head. "Only as a last resort will we go on the offensive. We don't want to hurt them, and we don't want them knowing we're here at all, if we can help it. They'll come looking for us if we knock them off their bikes."

But by then, we will not have time to set the trap lines in the trees, My Lord. The Akita complains, then drops the subject, as her Lord has already ruled on the matter.

Quote:

"...You guys need to find this cat, right?"

caelei wrote:

"Yes. We need his report on Swiftpaw's location. We need to know what the situation is. The other scouts will be back in a while, but for now Sneakers is top priority." Griffon looked sidelong at North, ears twitching. "Why do you ask? Do you have a suggestion?"

Kikyo flicks her ears up attentively. wondering just how this dog was going to find the missing cat scout??

Meanwhile... Swiftpaw moved to go follow the bikers as they moved off, only to be pulled back by her tail, back into the thicket. Just were are you going?I've got to keep track of them, i could lose them if they get too far ahead!Lt. Dacoda shakes his head. No.. you need to get back to camp, and report what you have seen, where there going and so on.. Doing that scouting stuff your supposed to be doing.But who is going to keep watch on what there doing, and if they suddenly turn twords the encampment.I can handle that, home base needs to know whats happening out here. Now git your fuzzy tail to camp. The Lt. Dacoda commands, swatting her rump, and shooing her off to the main camp. before he then takes off to go tracking after the bikers, following them along the mountain ridge as they approach the big lake...

Swiftpaw grumps, watching her Lt. go off after the bikers. She then swiftly heads down the mountain side, and into the wood, trotting back stealthily back to camp.

Meanwhile... Sneakers, has somehow ended up on the other side of the river to the south, coming up on the river delta. His ears detect the sounds of the motorcycles faintly, but he can't tell if there just across the lake, or are in the mountains behind the lake, because of the echos.. Wondering just how to get back to the other side of the river.

North shrugged offhandedly. "I'm not proposing any revolutionary new idea. But, if you need to look for him. And all your other guys are busy." He looked from Grif to Kikyo. "And as long as this cat didn't roll in any of that 'stuff 'you." Nodding to Kikyo. "Were referring to, I could probably find him."

Sure little lady, we can help find him..An just how are we going to do that?Simple, We will just take her into the nearby town, and turn her over to animal control. Who can then organize a full police search of the area for him.Ah that will work.. care to hope on the back of the bike with me, and we will go get help to find your lost owner..

Rachav felt a small thrill of victory, but it also felt like acid in her stomach. Her body was quivering so much --just being in contact with these two humans did that to her-- that the rocks she still held clacked together in front of her tummy. "Oh-- Okay," she said, sounding vague and confused. "But misters-- How long will it take to get back'ta town? Papa an' I have this cabin out here we come'ta during the summer, so we're close. Half'a day's walk. There ain't no towns too close to here, right?" Panic flared in her voice again, causing her to shake even more. "I can't have Papa out here at night by his lonesome, misters. I can't. My Papa. Oh my poor, poor Papa. We can't leave him!" While Rachav's mouth babbled on, she tried to fight the 'flight' instinct that was slamming her adrenaline into gear, driving her heart rate and respiration. The thought of getting on one of those blasted bikes and riding off with them, just being so close to one of them-- it repelled her, made her almost feel sick. But she was going to stay, and most likely go for a little ride. The camp needed her. And speaking of which.

Rachav abruptly stooped and hurriedly gathered a cluster of rocks together, stacking them into a crude square and then stacking another smaller square on top, and then again and again, building a sort of rock 'pyramid' on the ground. Currently, unless a scout was listening in without her knowledge, she was the only one who knew that human reinforcements were going to arrive at some point in time. That was alright. But. Griffon had to know to move the camp, to hightail it out of the area before they did. If she was taken by the bikers then the information would be lost, and Griffon would have no advance warning. That was where the rock pyramid came in. It was a signal for any scouts or trackers who came along. It meant, simply enough, danger. It was an urgent signal, only to be used if there was no other option. Rachav didn't see one. The scout who found it would see her pawprints, would see the bikes' tire tracks, would know that she was taken, and would see the pyramid. They would know to move the camp. And if they didn't, they would know to tell Griffon, and he would know. Danger relating to humans, humans in the woods? Of course he would know. Any scout, even the least experienced, would notice the pyramid. That distinctive formation was used for two basic reasons. One, because it was stable. It wasn't likely to be easily knocked down by the wind, and would last a while. And two, because nothing like that would ever occur naturally. Rocks couldn't ever accidentally appear in that position. Rachav knew someone from the camp would find it. She only hoped they would find it in time.To the bikers, she said as she stacked, "Just-- I don't wanna leave my ol' Papa all by his lonesome out here in the woods. I don't wanna leave him. But if he comes by here, he'll see this and know. He'll know to stay here and wait for me." She quickly brushed a tear from her cheek with the back of her paw, sniffling.

Meanwhile...

Quote:

"I'm not proposing any revolutionary new idea. But, if you need to look for him. And all your other guys are busy." He looked from Grif to Kikyo. "And as long as this cat didn't roll in any of that 'stuff 'you." Nodding to Kikyo. "Were referring to, I could probably find him."

Grif's face grew strained as he thought it over. It was hard to know what the right thing to do in this situation is. North was still an outsider. There was still the possibility that the bikers were looking for him, specifically. They hadn't ruled that out. And there was the state of his leg to worry about. But...Griffon breathed a long breath out through his nose. "Alright. Go, and do your best. I would send someone to accompany you, but as you said, we're a little short-pawed at the moment. Already stretched too thin. We need as many as we can possibly afford here, close. Ready to move. Hurry back."

But she was going to stay, and most likely go for a little ride. The camp needed her. "Just-- I don't wanna leave my ol' Papa all by his lonesome out here in the woods. I don't wanna leave him. But if he comes by here, he'll see this and know. He'll know to stay here and wait for me." She quickly brushed a tear from her cheek with the back of her paw, sniffling.

You coming lass? it shan't take long to get back to town.Yea these babies can go fast!just snuggle up close and hang on tightly.

Meanwhile...

caelei wrote:

Griffon breathed a long breath out through his nose. "Alright. Go, and do your best. I would send someone to accompany you, but as you said, we're a little short-pawed at the moment. Already stretched too thin. We need as many as we can possibly afford here, close. Ready to move. Hurry back."

Are you sure that is such a good idea, my lord? he doesn't know the lay of the land, he can't move quietly in the leaves, he doesn't know where are traps are. It's going to be real trial by fire scout training.

You coming lass? it shan't take long to get back to town.Yea these babies can go fast!just snuggle up close and hang on tightly.

"Y-yeah. I'm coming. I never-- I never rode one'a these before now." Rachav stepped forward. It was remarkably hard for her to do so. She was surprised, and a bit chagrined. What was she doing, dallying like this? She tried to find some reason for her hesitation. Well. The more she stood around here, the longer it would take for them to get to wherever they were taking her, the longer time someone had to come along and find the pyramid and send the word to Grif to move the camp. But that really wasn't the reason she was doing this. Just the thought of going with these humans--

She made her body move faster, approaching the man that seemed to be the smallest. Smallest was good. If when she was trying to get away it came to a fight, he'd be less likely to be able to grab her. Smaller body, smaller strength, smaller reach. Simple as that. Though she was wondering how she would get away. She'd have to wait to jump off at the last possible moment. One of them had said that the bikes went fast. That meant it probably wouldn't be a good idea to jump off when they were going at high speed. She didn't know how fast one could go, and they probably couldn't go full speed, considering the terrain in the region and that there were no easy trails to follow, but they might be able to go really fast, still. So she'd have to wait until they slowed down to park before she jumped and attempted to flee. Rachav put her paws on the bike, then clambered onto the seat. She hated it, but she made herself clutch at the back of the guy's shirt. She didn't want to fall off (well, not on accident, anyway) and hurt herself. "I'm-- I'm ready." she breathed.

Meanwhile...

Quote:

Are you sure that is such a good idea, my lord? he doesn't know the lay of the land, he can't move quietly in the leaves, he doesn't know where are traps are. It's going to be real trial by fire scout training.

Quote:

"Won't know unless I try." He looked at the akita and nodded. "I'll find your cat, just point me in the direction he left camp." There was confidence in his voice.

"We don't know the extent of North's capabilities. We can only trust his confidence. And if he truly wants to help, he will not let us down." Griffon said. He raised his paw and pointed northeast, towards the old camp. "He headed off that way, but probably veered right before reaching the old camp, hoping to loop around in case he ran into anybody, or catch Swiftpaw's scent. However, not knowing exactly where Swiftpaw went, after that Sneakers could've headed in any direction." Grif frowned. "Find her, if you can. And send her back to report."

((Swiftpaw's in the south, I think? So Sneakers might have gone northeast simply to get out of the dense trees that surround the new camp, and then looped around and headed south. Easier travel that way.))

Rachav put her paws on the bike, then clambered onto the seat. She hated it, but she made herself clutch at the back of the guy's shirt. She didn't want to fall off (well, not on accident, anyway) and hurt herself. "I'm-- I'm ready." she breathed.

Oh, your quite the cuddlier there honey, I bet my daughter would just love to have a pet like you. hold on tight now..Yes i but she would make a good pet for her.The bikers rumble off into the woods heading west to the small town there. one of the bikers running over the pyramid pile of rocks, as there tear off into the wood.WuUrrRRrr WuRRrRRRrrr the wind blowing into her face, then smell of man and gas fumes, the trees whizzing by like a blurr

Meanwhile...

caelei wrote:

"We don't know the extent of North's capabilities. We can only trust his confidence. And if he truly wants to help, he will not let us down." Griffon said. He raised his paw and pointed northeast, towards the old camp.

As you wish my Lord.

A few minutes after North leaves to the NW, Swiftpaw comes in from the south.

The panting young coyote comes up to the Alpha pair and bows.

Lt. Dacoda sends his compliments, and begs to report that two bikers have invaded are territory from the west. They are proceeding to the east along the ridge line, and should be in the area of the lake by now. my Lt. is following them..

"Okay... North west... North west....". The GSD looked down at the compass he was holding up in his left paw. The thin pointer was currently in between the large N and W letters, printed in red. Its been a few minutes since he left the camp now, and still no sign of Sneakers. His ears swiveled and he sniffed the air, trying to get an idea of where the cat might be. Grif did say that Sneakers could have circled around back south... There was also the matter of finding that coyote from before.

The trees were thinning out now, the foliage getting less dense. Then something made North stop in his tracks. Wait a minute... Did Grif say West or East... West... East? North groaned as he facepawed his head and changed his course, now moving at a running pace to make up for his time.

Then a distinctly strong smell hit him. Was it Sneaker's scent? Maybe. If Sneakers smelled like a Jiffy Lube (which he probably didn't...). A loud rumble suddenly sounded in his vicinity, confirming his second guess. Motorcycles.

"Are you alright?" Jack asked the raccoon. "you kind of zoned out for a while."

Quote:

"Good, as debt is no longer going to be an issue" Felix said, he bent down and scooped the raccoon up and continued along their way. "So, you'll stay in my den for the night unless we find your relatives before then."

"I'm fine," Pavelle said in her hollow voice, but there was a note of irritation creeping in. Not at Jack, no. Not at him. At Felix. This Felix. He wasn't her brother, a hand wrapped around her arm and yanking her away from her family, she knew that. But he was this lynx who was just... just picking her up like she couldn't do anything by herself, like she couldn't do anything right. And maybe she couldn't. But now that her thinking had... had cleared a bit, like a mental step-back, like she was here but just, just watching what her body was doing, simply watching her own thoughts and feelings float on through her mind...No more. No more of this babying. No more of this.

Pavelle twisted in the lynx's arms, bucking the back of her head towards his face, shoving against his arms. If he wanted to keep his nose the way it was right now, he'd have to let go of her so she couldn't bash it with the back of her head. They were too close together for him to effectively dodge. She felt her lips moving, pulling away from her teeth, and her mouth saying, "I'm fine," and "No more," in that hollow, angry voice. All of a sudden she just wanted-- she didn't know what she wanted. Well. She knew one thing. "Let go of me," she said, voice rising. "Let go!"

There are many, many things Felix is and isn't... Among those which he definitely is, is stubborn. That said, he was taking no orders from a raccoon, let alone a struggling one who had no reason to be such a cause of grief. Now, he'd had to handle rough creatures before, mainly prey animals, but occasionally too predators. He shifted around and wrapped his arms around her in a sort of squeezing way that more or less moved her head away from his after he got hit and pinned her arms against her. If he squeezed, it'd push your shoulders inward which would not be a pleasant or healthy experience. "No, if you zone out like that while we're walking you'll get left behind" he said, "now for crying out loud let me be nice... We aren't that far away anyway."

Fri Oct 05, 2012 10:40 am

caelei

Joined: Wed Mar 18, 2009 4:42 pmPosts: 683Location: Oh, you know.

Re: Pet Friendly: Haven

Quote:

Oh, your quite the cuddlier there honey, I bet my daughter would just love to have a pet like you. hold on tight now..Yes i but she would make a good pet for her.

"J-Just d-d-don't forget m-my Papa," Rachav grated out between locked teeth, bouncing along behind the man on the motorbike, hardly able to talk through all the jittering and jostling that was going on. It was quite bouncy on the back of the bike, forcing her to get a death-grip on the man's shirt. The only reason she was allowing herself to be so close was because she could get hurt otherwise. The biker had said that they would go fast... and what he had promised was true. The trees were whipping by in a hazy green blur, the familiar landscape melting away into less and less familiar territory, territory the pack had not been stupid enough to move into because it was too close to human civilization. Out here, you could be spotted by random hikers or campers or hunters. In further it was safe. Here...Not so much. Rachav wanted to close her eyes against the blur of motion --she'd never ridden on such a terrible machine before-- but she forced them wide so that when her chance came to escape, she wouldn't miss it. She couldn't miss it. Especially with what the men had been saying; "My daughter would just love to have a pet like you" sounded a lot like trouble to Rachav's ears, even though the men couldn't possibly be serious. They knew Rachav had a 'Papa' so she couldn't be someone else's pet. Unless they'd somehow figured out that she was lying... but why would they then want to take a wild dog, a known liar, to be their own pet...? So maybe they'd just been joking, or harmlessly commenting. Either way--

They hit a particularly large bump and Rachav felt herself lift from the seat for a second before plunking back into place. Her breathing picked up, her chest heaving, and if possible she clutched even harder to the man in front of her. She hated this. She hated everything about it. The rumble and groan of the engine, the warmth of the driver against her front, the hard seat she was sitting on, the motion and everything going by too quick, so quick she couldn't look at anything, and the smell of it all... the bike's scent was bad enough, a mixture of oil and grease and leather and hot metal and fire that seemed to wrap itself like a band around her lungs. But the human's scent, if anything, was worse. It was so potent, she didn't know how he didn't smell himself. She could smell the burger he'd had for lunch and the hair gel he used; the scent of the soap he used to wash his hands; the deodorant he had on; a couple other, softer human scents that must be his wife and daughter's; the smell of his clothes and the detergent he used; a faint smell that must be the odor in his car or workplace; and above everything else this spicy aftershave-cologne smell that caught in her nose and constricted her throat. She was barely able to breathe through it all. It was not natural. There was nothing natural about his scent. It was like he was simply made of the products he used, like there was nothing else underneath them at all. She didn't know how he could live like that. She didn't want to know how. She wanted to get as far away as possible from this horror. And the fact that she physically could not get away was all the more horrifying.

Meanwhile...

Quote:

Lt. Dacoda sends his compliments, and begs to report that two bikers have invaded are territory from the west. They are proceeding to the east along the ridge line, and should be in the area of the lake by now. my Lt. is following them..

Griffon snapped his eyes to Swiftpaw as she approached and spoke. The small ruff of thicker fur near the back of his neck and shoulder blades spiked a little as she spoke, showing a bit of his vexation. Regardless, his face remained smooth, though his fingers had clenched into fists. "They are approaching the lake from the west, following the ridge? That means they must be headed south to some degree, however minor. How close are they; how fast could they get here? Is the area directly to the west clear, then? We may have to move camp that way if these bikers have already come too close." More to himself than Swiftpaw he mused, "There may be bikers in the north, headed in from the opposite direction. In fact, I'm sure of it if Rachav sent North with that information. I doubt it's a coincidence that all these humans appeared at the same time. They must be working together. That being said, I can't imagine all of this is for one lost dog. Unless North didn't tell us everything, and he had very wealthy, very possessive owners." Grif shook his head, looking at Swiftpaw, waiting for her answers to the questions. This seemed very bad. Others in the camp nearby had stopped what they were doing to listen, ears perked and eyes large. If humans were heading in from the southwest, and more were heading in from the northeast... they might be planning to meet with each other in the middle. Which could be... here. The camp would have to be gone before that happened. Griffon couldn't lose more of his followers.

Meanwhile...

Quote:

"No, if you zone out like that while we're walking you'll get left behind" he said, "now for crying out loud let me be nice... We aren't that far away anyway."

Pavelle felt a jolt of surprise when Felix didn't let go, but continued to hold on. He didn't let go even when she smashed the back of her head into his face, though he'd managed to shift her over so she only got his cheek instead of his nose. And then he was pressing her arms against her sides and she strained against the pressure, but she had never been strong. If Magnus was here--He wasn't. It didn't matter.She couldn't get free. Still, she kept trying to push her arms free for a few moments. She was panting. But still. She was too weak. She should have never let him pick her up in the first place. She could have avoided everything if she had just--That didn't matter, either. It had already happened. "Why do you insist on this?" she asked, rather vehemently, tail and ears twitching with emotion. She was just so angry. So very angry. She was aware that some of it --most of it-- was not directed at Felix. It was directed towards herself, towards her family, towards her own Felix for leaving her and towards Magnus for needing her, her father for being so useless and angry, and especially at-- at her mother who had not gotten to be a real mother because she'd just been so sick. And all of that anger was just-- just eating away at Pavelle. Fire. Inside her body. Burning her up. She strained against Felix again, feeling the pressure --not painful until he wanted it to be, but not comfortable either-- against her arms, pushing at her shoulder blades. She would never get free unless he wanted to let her go. She was so useless. So weak. She didn't know what to do with herself. She didn't know what to do at all.Finally she just went limp, still panting, eyes blinking up at the treetops. She noticed an unusual, harsh feeling in her nose and a wateriness building behind her eyes, a salty taste in her mouth, and no. She would not cry. She would not. Instead, she asked, sounding miserable, "Why? She took a deep breath. "Why are you doing this?" She didn't know who she was asking. Felix? Herself? Someone else? There were so many things she just didn't know. ((I'm sorry for the drama! I feel really bad for subjecting you all to this. :/ ))

At the tears, Felix relaxed his grip enough to shift the raccoon around and hold her so her head would be on his shoulder while he gently stroked her back. "First, because I'm trying to prevent you from getting yourself hurt" the cat said, "given that if you zoned out before you could again and be left behind... Then there's that your upset right now and it'd be wrong of me to leave you be to suffer without anyone to help you... Lastly, I've seen a lot of animals while I was hunting, both those I've caught and those who've gotten away.. Right now you're looking more like one of the ones I caught and I prefer you not be caught.... Despite you're upsetness, me carrying you right now seems the best thing to keep you safe... On top of that, if I can manage to figure out why you're upset, maybe we can cheer you up." He kept rubbing her back, trying to calm her down some. Tickling didn't work, so, this was really about all he had left.

No. No chance of that at all, ma'amHere is vineyard, we are almost to the town now, honey

As the road smooths out, and actually becomes a stone road. the bikers go even faster now.. spitting up gravel as they go along.WuURrRR WwrUUUrRrrrr... As the lines of manicured grape vines go whizzing along past the fast moving bikes.. The road now becomes paved, the knobby tires of the bikes going Wuurrrbblle on the hard pavement.. as they cruise into the center of town, finally coming to a stop out in front of the sheriffs office. The sheriff sitting out front in a chair, with his feet up on the old horses hitching post.Hey boy. don't you all know that your pets must be leashed and collared at all times in this here town?What? no we found this one wandering around lost about 5 mile out into the woods.She is saying that she has gotten separated from her papa. she thinks he may be lost as well.. She is claiming that they live out in a cabin in the woods, but we don't know about any cabin, at least one doesn't show up on are survey maps.the sheriff gets his feet down off the hitching post. Probably some dang squatter hobo.. You have any info on this pet? tags? collar?No sir, we found her wondering as is.We did even think to ask what her papa called her.Aaahh horse dung.. the sheriff turns to holler back into the office.Maybelle.. Maybelle git on the horn with animal control.. tell them we got a stray here, have him bring his scanner lets see if she is chipped.. then start rounding up the guys, we may have to go out looking for her owner. the sheriff walks over to the dobermann So what is your name? and do you know your owners full name?

Meanwhile...

caelei wrote:

Griffon snapped his eyes to Swiftpaw as she approached and spoke. The small ruff of thicker fur near the back of his neck and shoulder blades spiked a little as she spoke, showing a bit of his vexation. Regardless, his face remained smooth, though his fingers had clenched into fists. "They are approaching the lake from the west, following the ridge? That means they must be headed south to some degree, however minor. How close are they; how fast could they get here? Is the area directly to the west clear, then? We may have to move camp that way if these bikers have already come too close."

If they keep going the way they were going, they are moving away from us. If they wanted too, they could turn around and be here faster than we could move away. Altho they are avg. riders at best. the one on the yellow bike crashed already. I wouldn't know if the way to the west is clear or not.... Didn't the western scouts report them coming in?

caelei wrote:

More to himself than Swiftpaw he mused, "There may be bikers in the north, headed in from the opposite direction. In fact, I'm sure of it if Rachav sent North with that information. I doubt it's a coincidence that all these humans appeared at the same time. They must be working together. That being said, I can't imagine all of this is for one lost dog. Unless North didn't tell us everything, and he had very wealthy, very possessive owners."

The ones we are following, did stop to use those talking boxes that humans have. but we were too far away to hear what they were talking about. They might be after North, I didn't think to ask about his pedigree when we first met. Kikyo raises her eyebrows, then furrows them together a tooth shows as she pulls back her lips to growl at her young charge... Swiftpaw notices Kikyo's displeased look, dropping to the ground in a head to the ground bow.Please forgive me, I dis-honor myself with my words.

North twitched his ears as he continued towards the sound. The initial revving of the engine was loud, but now that it was idling it sounded pretty distant. he checked his compass again, raising it to eye level. "South..." He muttered, letting it go.

North continued his tread through the foliage, occasionally having to move a low branch out of his way until he came into a clearing. A long river came into view, each end disappearing into the distance. "Well... That's a dead end." Unless he swims but... he'd rather avoid that.

The GSD scanned the area. He couldn't see any motorcycles or humans... but...He squinted at something in the distance. Was that just him or... North walked closer to the bank, out of the coverage of the trees.

"First, because I'm trying to prevent you from getting yourself hurt" the cat said, "given that if you zoned out before you could again and be left behind... Then there's that your upset right now and it'd be wrong of me to leave you be to suffer without anyone to help you... Lastly, I've seen a lot of animals while I was hunting, both those I've caught and those who've gotten away.. Right now you're looking more like one of the ones I caught and I prefer you not be caught.... Despite you're upsetness, me carrying you right now seems the best thing to keep you safe... On top of that, if I can manage to figure out why you're upset, maybe we can cheer you up."

Pavelle turned her eyes away and hurriedly scrubbed at her face. She had not been crying. No. She didn't do that. She was messing everything up. Making herself weaker and weaker and weaker. She had to be strong. She had to be strong for her mother--Strong for-- for Mag--Pavelle stared at her paws with blank eyes. It was a lonely feeling to realize that there was no one else that she had to be strong for, no one that she had to take care of. Only herself. Well.Whatever. Just. Whatever.It was no big deal. She needed... she needed to reel all these dumb clumsy emotions in. She needed to be rid of them. While she was around other people. Maybe when she was alone she could let herself give in--Or maybe not.No, probably not.Well. Either way. It didn't matter as long as these, these crying, weak feelings were tied down now. Maybe. Maybe she didn't have anyone else to be strong for. Maybe she would have to be strong for herself, and maybe that would be hard. Harder than before, when there was a reason to keep moving, keep going, keep doing and helping and being happy. But. She had to do it. She had to show that she was strong. Or at least appear to be that way.She rubbed her face once more, and thought, Okay. No more. Never more. No more of this. It won't happen. Not again. Be strong. Seem strong.She looked up at Felix. And smiled. At least the smile felt natural enough. "I'm better now. You really don't have to worry about me. I'll be fine. I-- I always have been before." Before when she'd had a family--Reel it in.Pavelle's ears flicked back as a new sound pricked her attention. She turned her head, facing away from Felix. Peering through the trees, and... she thought she could someone. No. Multiple someones. "Hey. I think I can see the others." she said. "Conker? That you? We brought some soup." Yes, it definitely was the others. Pavelle turned her face back towards Felix. Smiling still. The same smile. She wouldn't let it go. No. Strong. Seeming strong. She shouldn't have allowed them to think otherwise. But it had just been so hard--Don't. Just be strong. Don't think about-- about before. "Felix. I think you can put me down now. Thanks."

Meanwhile...

Quote:

Maybelle.. Maybelle git on the horn with animal control.. tell them we got a stray here, have him bring his scanner lets see if she is chipped.. then start rounding up the guys, we may have to go out looking for her owner. the sheriff walks over to the dobermann So what is your name? and do you know your owners full name?

Rachav had been planning to jump off the bike. And she really had been paying attention. But the town had been closer than she'd thought. She'd still been gathering her nerve, preparing for the pain that would come with jumping. And now.Now it was too late.She was here. She was aware that the newest man was talking to her. And she thought she understood what he was saying. But. But. There was too much. The sounds, the sights, the smells, the even the taste of the contaminated town air --exhaust and people and she could swear she could taste the buildings like chalk and rock and rubber-- as she panted out her tongue (nerves getting the best of her). It was an effort to bring her eyes to the new man. Who had spoken to her. She needed to answer. She also needed to make her body less tense. Her bones felt like they would snap from all the pressure her muscles were exerting on them. She couldn't do it. And if they thought they were scanning her for anything...But first. She needed to answer, now! Her voice came out stammering. It was hard to stay in character. "I-- I'm sorry, s-sir. I-- I-- My Papa-- he didn't, he didn't take me-- Not to a place like this-- W-with all these-- these big buildings. It even-- smells diff'rent." She put her her paw over her nose. The smell of it hurt her nose. It was too complex. Too human. Answer his questions! "My name-- it's-- My name's Danny." She said the first name that came to mind, then winced. She forced her paws from her nose. She was trembling still. She must look pathetic. She was pathetic. Well. Maybe she could work it to her advantage. But she needed to concentrate. Cut through this sensory overload. With effort she strengthened her shaking voice. "My-- My Papa's real name?" She tried to make her face blank. Her eyes were big. "My Papa's name is Papa, sir. His name is Papa." Looking at him like she didn't have any idea what he was talking about. That was the best she could do right now.

Meanwhile..."Talking boxes," Grif repeated flatly. "Walkie-talkies. Or perhaps a radio transmitter of some sort." He looked to Kikyo, expression grim. "I'd hate to move us. But I feel we have no choice. The western scouts have been nowhere to be seen. We are unorganized. But I'm afraid we'll have to move west. Take that chance. Two sets of humans, on either side, north and south? Too dangerous. We need to move out of this area. At least for a week or two. Then possibly return when the coast's clear." As he spoke, the camp around went silent. Large eyes watched him. Most were scared. Confused. And a couple... looked angry. Blaming him. Griffon sighed.

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